What Happens When You Reach Your Goal Weight But Still Hate How You Look?

Jan O'Daniel had struggled with her weight since she was child. After reaching an "all-time high" of 310 pounds, she decided to get gastric bypass surgery. The procedure was a success, and in the weeks that followed, she began to eat a healthier diet and exercise regularly. In a year, she lost 100 pounds. After eight months of maintenance, she redoubled her efforts and lost another 40.

But O'Daniel was still unhappy. "I hated the way I looked," she says. "I had so much flab and extra skin that all I could see was this big, giant stomach." Three years after her gastric bypass, O'Daniel sought out a plastic surgeon and spent $12,000 on body-contouring surgeries, including a tummy tuck with muscle repair, a breast lift, and a breast augmentation.

Turns out, O'Daniel is part of a growing trend. A report released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) found that in 2014, the rate of plastic surgeries to remove excess skin—like tummy tucks and breast lifts—grew at its fastest rate in four years. This seems to be a direct result of the increase in weight-loss surgeries.

Scot Glasberg, a New York City plastic surgeon and the president of ASPS, said that patients who have lost a large amount of weight are the fastest-growing part of his practice. While many patients seek out surgery because they want to feel better about their bodies, for others the need is more than aesthetic. The excess skin can be extremely uncomfortable and even cause health problems, such as painful rashes. In O'Daniel's case, excess skin got in the way of certain exercises. "It was inhibiting," she says. "I couldn't do jumping jacks. I couldn't run because the skin moves with you."

Glasberg says these procedures can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000, and insurance covers the cost only in some cases. "Patients have the weight-loss surgery, and then I'm not sure they are prepared for this extra dilemma they have to deal with," says Glasberg.